SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - As a new school year begins, Governor Daugaard advises parents and students that time out of school is learning time lost.
Daugaard says attendance is critical from the start as kindergartners and first graders who are chronically absent significantly fall behind in reading skills.
The Governor says research also shows that by 6th grade, chronic absence is an indicator that students are at risk of dropping out of school. And by 9th grade, a student's attendance record is a better indicator of graduation rates than an 8th grade test score.
Daugaard encourages South Dakota parents to make attendance a priority and to consider it as your child's first and most important job. He says habits that they form now will pay huge dividends throughout their lifetime.
Daugaard says consistent school attendance is a habit that carries over when student enter the workforce.
September is "Attendance Awareness Month" in South Dakota. Sioux Falls public schools start September 6th.
As Woody Allen put it, says Daugaard, "eighty percent of success is showing up."